A 37-year-old man from Ryde has been arrested on suspicion of fraud by abuse of position relating to Ryde Marina, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary have confirmed.
Released under investigation
The police said the man has been released under investigation while enquiries continue.
How the inquiry came to light
In December last year, it emerged that a probe was underway into reports of alleged employee fraud at Ryde Marina, which is run by Ryde Town Council.
It is understood to relate to thousands of pounds from the public purse.
Irregularities found last autumn
Alleged ‘financial irregularities’ were discovered at the marina in October 2025, according to a recent town council officer report.
It said there were ‘clear financial procedures in place to protect the council’s funds, along with training provided to the relevant staff, which was refreshed in April 2025’.
Despite this, it is claimed a breach of process was achieved and fraud committed.
What the council says it has changed
The statement continued,
“Since this breach, significant levels of investigation have been undertaken, along with a full review of the income procedures for Ryde Marina.
“From April 2026, a new Marina Management System has been rolled out which moves away from using more manual processes for logging berths, visitors and general sales.”
The report also said that from quarter one in 2026/27, regular councillor scrutiny checks of Ryde Marina will be in place to further ensure the council is taking ‘all possible steps’ to ‘protect public funds’.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
